CFS Affects Relationships: How Can You Help?
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is a serious and disabling condition. Patients with CFS need the help of family and friends to face the challenges of living with the condition. Symptoms of CFS are variable. Early in the course of the disease, patients typically require a lot of sleep but over time patients can have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep. But that's just one of myriad symptoms associated with CFS.
CFS affects all aspects of daily life, from work and leisure activities to self-esteem and personal relationships. Friends and family often notice changes in the CFS patient but don't know how to react. The CFS patient is left feeling very isolated while having to deal with the primary effects of living with CFS symptoms and the secondary effects of how it impacts the people around them. How can you help? In the article Family and Friends: For Those Who Care, by Katrina Berne, Ph.D., on behalf of the CFIDS Association of America, there are general suggestions as well as specific suggestions for friends, partners, family, and caregivers.
Related Resources:
- CFS Coping Essentials
- In Sickness and in Health
- Living in a "Normal World"
- Family and Friends: 12 Tips to Boost Their Understanding
~ By Carol & Richard Eustice, About.com Guides to Arthritis / Osteoarthritis
Photo by g_studio (iStockphoto)
Comments
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